Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Reasons Behind Choosing Satellite Television

The television provider battles have not simmered down, even though an increasing number of viewers are choosing to go with satellite television. While some consumers may not have a choice in their programming (in apartments, cable is sometimes included in utilities), those who do are exercising their power of choice. While satellite companies are reaping the most benefits, cable companies are not sitting by idly doing nothing.

What are cable companies doing to bolster their flagging business? They are doing quite a lot, actually, though few of their plans have come to fruition, just yet. Bundling services is the direction that they seem to be going, offering high speed Internet access through consumer's cable connections and even including phone service. There are other technologies on the horizon, but, as yet, they are not viable for consumer use.

That leaves satellite providers as the only real choice for demanding television viewers. Sophisticated consumers have already learned the benefits provided by satellite programming, though as HD programming and technology becomes more widely available and comes down in price, more and more people are deciding to go with this type of television programming. Why, you ask? There are numerous reasons, from unique sports packages to the number of HD channels available. Simply the number and quality of standard definition television channels is enough to draw many people to these providers.

Satellite television also has the benefit of being all digital, something that many cable companies cannot claim as yet. While digital cable is offered through some companies, it is more expensive than satellite TV. With the looming deadline for air-to-ground broadcasts to switch to digital, having digital television service only makes sense. This way, you already get digital transmission of your local channels, as well as a full range of all digital channels.

How many channels can you get with satellite television? Well, DirecTV offers almost 300 standard definition channels, plus over 90 HD channels. Dish Network can claim somewhat less than that number, though they both offer more channels than cable providers. What kind of future does HD programming have with satellite providers? The number of HD channels offered through these providers is only going to increase. DirecTV has already substantially increased their capacity and Dish Network is not far behind. Contrast this with cable providers who have yet to grasp the implications of this technology.

One of the best parts of subscribing to a satellite provider, for many consumers, is the fact that you can get a DVR for free with new installations. The DVR has become enormously popular, allowing consumers to digitally record their favorite programs, pause, rewind and fast forward live television. An HD DVR is required to do this for high definition channels, though these are also available through your satellite provider. DirecTV even lets you program your DVR from anywhere, by using any computer connected to the Internet or a Web enabled cell phone. Now you can set your timers even if you are stuck in traffic.

Whitney Alen is a DirecTV expert and has over 10 years experience in the satellite TV industry.

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